Mandatory Medical - Cmdr Ryan

Posted on Sat Jan 6, 2018 @ 2:26am by Commander Amia Telamon M.D. & Commander Caleb Ryan

1,921 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Victory Conditions
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: DM 9 1400

Amia set about sending out polite invitations to all the officers offering them a selection of appointments that they might like to choose for their medical that the new CO had ordered. She had to send for them all, otherwise she risked waiting and then having to get pushy with those who weren't done quickly enough, and she didn't look forward to getting backs up, so had sent out a whole swathe of them.

Next on her list was Caleb Ryan. She worded them all very sweetly.

Caleb sighed as he walked into sickbay. He didn’t really have time for this. He didn’t show his annoyance, though. Dr. Telamon had enough on her mind with her husband gone and a baby on the way. He flashed her a friendly smile.

“Cain’t get enough of me once a week, ya need ta call me in special? Or are ya just gettin’ jealous that Dr. Oliver’s gettin’ all the attention?” he teased the attractive Baku doctor.

"Opal is very sweet, and I don't mind at all if she's getting attention. Well, only the kind that isn't an attack!" she said more lightly than that subject really called for, as she clearly remembered having been accused of being *the* doctor who was *stealing* Caleb. It hadn't been a lot of fun, and she didn't wish that on Opal.

"I just got orders to make sure you're fit for purpose still!" She smiled again, joining in the banter. She smirked gently at him. As if there could be any doubt he wouldn't be! she thought silently. Setting up her scanners, she opened her arm towards the biobed nearest him. "If you would be so kind, Commander? I know this is taking up your valuable time, so I won't make it long winded.”

Caleb gave Amia a curious look. “Attacked? Why would Ah attack Opal -- Dr. Oliver,” he corrected quickly. He shouldn’t let on about their...relationship? Did a passionate few hours in the holodeck count as a relationship? He didn’t want Opal to get in trouble for being unprofessional and carrying on with a patient. He really should ask to have her removed as his doctor, but didn’t know how Opal would take that, and his weekly visits were often the only time he was able to see her.

"I wasn't thinking that you would attack her -- or anyone!" Amia hadn't meant that comment to offend him, and she certainly hadn't meant to make him think that she thought the attack had been his fault. Right now she just wanted to drop the subject altogether, but she had said what she said and now had to explain what she really meant to put right his mistaken idea that she was suspicious of him.

"Your daughter said she attacked me for trying to steal you away, which, of course, was misdirected, but if it's not me in her line of fire, then another doctor who appears to be offering a similar threat could be next up for the same treatment. If word gets back to Aleczandra that someone else is getting your attention, then, although I personally feel that Opal is very lovely and much deserving of attention, maybe your attention in particular might offer her danger from your daughter," Amia explained.

“Wait. Back up. Ah’ve been locked up in a Lissepian holding cell for the last few days. Zandra attacked you?” Caleb stared at Amia in disbelief. “And she said that? You, nor Opal, are stealin’ me from no one. Zandy means the world ta me.”

"I'm sorry, Caleb. I thought you would have been told what happened. She wasn't herself at all. She had the strength of a she-demon, and she didn't even sound like herself either. I'm not able to tell why it came about, but she came in here and sat on that bio-bed, telling me she needed medical help, then suddenly threw herself at me, accusing me of being a... well, I'm not repeating what she called me. And the other doctors sent for Security, at which point I was on the floor, beached like an upturned beetle, and she ran away when she thought someone was being called. She seemed to shake herself and was confused, muttering as if she didn't know herself how it was that she'd got here. Noelle Bennett is talking to her to try to help."

Amia lifted her top just far enough to show him her ribs on her left side towards her back where there were still livid purple and blue bruises where she had hit the floor and the extended feet of the biobed had dug in. They were paling into softer colours now, but she hadn't had them regenerated because she didn't want the baby exposed to any procedures that weren't essential.

"I won't press charges, of course. She's just a little girl really. I know she wouldn't want to hear me say that, of course, but it's how I see her. It was pretty scary though, up-ended, winded, and afraid that if she wanted to, she could have really hurt my own little girl. This parenting thing is complicated, isn't it?" she sighed. "I guess I have all this to look forward to!"

She had finished setting up the bio-bed to do his medical scans but stopped to see if he still wanted to go ahead with them right now, or if he was going to have to rush off and see what was happening with his daughter and come back later.

Caleb sat there in a bit of shell shock. “Ah shoulda been there,” he said, staring at his hands. “Ah shoulda been there ta help her, or...something. She’s been...different, since…” Caleb looked around. They weren’t exactly alone here, so he didn’t know how safe it was to talk about Aleczandra’s condition. “But her mother was different, too. It’s ta be expected. But Mika was never...violent. What’s wrong with mah little girl…” he said, sounding small and lost. “Ah’m so sorry, Amia,” he said, looking up at the doctor with pain-filled eyes.

"Commander," she said with deep compassion in her voice, "Caleb, iIt's not your fault, don't be sorry. I seriously doubt it's Aleczandra's either. I think the symbiont transfer has not gone as well as it was intended to. I don't know enough about symbiont implantation, but I will need to learn with a half-Trill daughter on the way myself! But I feel we need Cade's expertise on this. When he next calls in by vidphone, I will ask him what we might try to look into for her, but I know you're anxious about the Trill authorities, so I haven't asked too many questions anywhere else. I suppose I have an excuse to take up studying the subject now since I could always say I was researching for the sake of my own daughter. Would that be of any help?" she asked, looking at him with deep empathy. This might even happen to her one day. Who knew?

Caleb swallowed. “Ah...yes, thank ya, Doctor,” he said, choking on his own throat. He buried his face in his hands a moment to compose himself. “She was never meant ta keep it,” he said. “Ah just...needed ta save what was left of Mika. It was what she wanted, her last, dyin’ wish. Zandy was...all Ah had that could transport the symbiote. She...She was unconscious. Ah couldn’t ask her permission. Ah was gonna get us out as fast as Ah could. But mah leg...Ah couldn’t move fast enough.” He looked up at Amia, eyes red, but dry. “So yer wrong, Doc. This is all mah fault. Ah’ve been livin’ with mah head in the sand, thinkin’ Ah’m livin’ a blessed life, when Ah’ve just been ignorin’ mah daughter an’ what she’s goin’ through. Ah don’t know what she’s goin’ through!”

Amia looked at the Commander with empathy and sadness. "I'm so sorry," she said, genuinely and deeply concerned. She moved closer to him and put a hand on his hunched shoulder, her eye colour darkening with emotion. "I'd have asked Cade to talk to her, being a Joined Trill himself, but as he's not due back for a while, I'm at a bit of a loss. Is it possible for the counsellor to try to chat with her? Or if you still don't want to bring in any other people to complicate things, then maybe I could try myself. I could mention that my daughter will be half Trill, one quarter Human, and I wanted to know how that will be likely to affect her. Perhaps Zandy might open up in that context? I don't want to intrude, but I'd like to be of some help if I can," she said, looking him in the eyes and trying to project her sincerity and integrity.

“Thank ya, Amia,” Caleb said, composing himself again. “Yer concern means a lot, an’ the fact that you’ve been keepin’ our secret. Knowin’ Ah have someone Ah can trust if Zandy has medical complications is a lotta peace a mind f’r me,” he assured her. “Ah will talk ta the counsellor again,” he promised. “But you’ve got a lot on yer plate now, with all these new physicals. Ah s’pose Ah should stop wastin’ yer time an’ get this done. But ya ever have any more problems with Zandy, ya call me. Any time, day or night.”

"Thank you too, Caleb. I appreciate your kindness. It's hard, this parenting thing, isn't it? I don't even know yet, but I can see it's not going to be a picnic!" she said, resuming the tests, logging his results onto a data rod and giving him a clean bill of health, other than his shrapnel. "I need to do some more sessions to reduce the last of that in your leg," she said, reminding them both. "Not too many more, and you'll be all good as new. I bet you're looking forward to that?"

Caleb chuckled. “Ah don’t know. Ah got used ta the limp. An’ the ladies seem ta like it,” he said with a teasing grin. “If ya ever need help on the parentin’ thing, let me know. Ah have some experience,” he said with a chuckle. “Don’t know if mah advice is any good, but it’s free. Get what ya pay for!” He slid off the exam table. “Opal -- Dr. Oliver’s done a good job with the surgeries,” he assured Amia. “Ah do have ta thank ya’ll.”

"It's all part of the job, but you're very welcome just the same.Thank you for your time today." She handed him a data-rod with the summary and results of her scans and tests that she had run and confirmation that he was cleared for duty as fit and healthy. She closed his medical file on the monitor and leaned back against the bio-bed without actually sitting on it. Her back ached, but she wasn't ready to cut back on her duties just yet.

“No problem, ma’am,” Caleb said, giving her a tip of his nonexistent hat. “Have a nice day, Doctor.”

FIN

Commander Caleb Ryan
Chief of Security/Tactical

Commander Amia Telamon
Chief Medical Officer

 

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